If Only
by Allanna Stone
Summary: When Connor meets Annie, the assassin learns that love isn't always such a bad thing…
1. Chapter 1

**If Only**

 **I don't own Assassin's Creed.**

 **SUMMARY:**

 **A million thoughts in my head/ Should I let my heart keep listening/ 'Cause up 'til now I've walked the line/ Nothing lost but something missing/ I can't decide/ What's wrong, what's right/ Which way should I go**

Connor cradled the sopping girl to his chest as he rode towards the Homestead at breakneck speed. He could feel her shivering, despite the fact that he had shed his heavy winter cloak and had given it to her.

 _Stupid girl_ , he berated her in his head for the umpteenth time since he had rescued her and to his great relief, the huge manor loomed up ahead. Without even stopping his horse, he jumped from the saddle, the wet girl in his arms as he quickly led his horse into the stables and put him into a stall.

"Achilles!" he barked, the front door slamming open as he rushed inside before shutting behind him. The half blood assassin wasted no time at all as he gently placed the still chattering young woman into his mentor's armchair and started building a fire. But the time he had lit up the logs with a match, the elderly man had appeared. "Fine blankets. Now."

The older gentleman did as ordered and soon, the child was wrapped up tightly, snuggled in a warm cocoon as Connor took a deep inhale of breath to begin asking questions.

"Who are you?" growled the assassin in his deadliest voice as he eyed the young woman, who was squirming to free herself from the blankets tight embrace on her. "Why were the redcoats after you?"

She stood and attempted to hop her way out of the room, only the assassin wasn't in a mood for fun and games. Before she had even reached the door, Connor had crossed the room and snapped his arms around her as he dragged her back to the chair. He threw her back into the chair, where she managed to free her arms and was now flexing her hands.

Connor knelt in front of her and was shocked when she decked his nose. She stood on shaky legs and tried to flee once more, only this time, Connor tackled her to the floor, where he firmly placed a knee on either sides of her and demanded answers from her.

The young woman continued to struggle, becoming more and more frightened as the half blood assassin became more and more determined to get a word from the silently struggling girl.

"Connor, ease up- you're frightening her," scolded Achilles, leaning on his cane as he took in the girl with wise eyes.

"I can't get a word out of her anyways," grunted Connor, standing and pulling the girl along with him, where she still continued to try and fight him off, only Connor was much bigger and stronger than the tiny woman. "I'm putting her in the room next to mine and locking her in- maybe she'll give us some answers in the morning."

Connor paused at the stairs for he knew that the young woman would try and trip him, and that would be painful. He huffed and threw her over his shoulder, where she hung like a limp rag doll for only a moment of shock before she began to try and wiggle out of his hold on her.

Connor gritted his teeth before coming to the room and kicking open the door. He threw her onto the bed, where she tried to dart around and escape out the door, only to find that Connor was too quick.

"You will give me answers in the morning," he growled into her face before marching out of the room and locking the door behind him. He could hear her pounding on the door as he stomped back downstairs to tell his mentor how he had came across her.

"There had better be a damn good reason as to why you bought a strange girl into my home," muttered the man as he stood over a pot of stew. Connor grunted as he ladled out some stew and poured it into a bowl before slumping down onto the floor and beginning to devour the meal.

Several minutes passed before Connor spoke.

"I killed the general," he started. "I was on my way back when something caught my attention…"

 _Connor was running through the forest, on his way back to the Homestead, when he heard an angry commotion. He decided to go check it out and saw that there was a group of half a dozen redcoats who were giving chase to someone in deerskin clothing. At first, the half Mohawk thought it was just a native until he noticed how pale the back of their neck was._

 _"Now why would there be a white person in native clothes?" he asked himself, jumping up into a tree and beginning to give a chase of his own, his eyes widening when he saw where the hunted person was running to._

 _The edge of Blue Rabbit River, where it dipped into a dangerous waterfall._

 _The person paused at the rocks before glancing over their shoulder, and Connor realized that it was a young woman in her late teens. Her hair, which had appeared black in the shadows of the forest, was actually a deep, dark red color, and it was held out of her face in a single braid which trailed down her back and halted at her waist. Her enormous sapphire blue eyes made it difficult to pinpoint an exact age, and her skin was as fair as freshly fallen snow. Connor crept closer and he could make out her delicate nose and daintily arched eyebrows before she fell backwards._

 _Connor wasted no time, diving in after her and emerged only seconds after he had plunged into the waterfall, the girl in his arms as he half swam, half waded to shore. He glanced up and saw that there were no redcoats looking for her. He laid her down on the grassy bank and conducted a quick checkup. He only found a purple and yellow bruise on her forehead and a few small cuts on her hands before he whistled softly, calling his horse over to him. He grabbed his spare cloak from the saddle bags and wrapped it around the disoriented girl before pulling the two of them up into the saddle and taking off towards the Homestead once more._

"I could feel her ribcage through my cloak," grumbled Connor, stuffing another spoonful of stew into his mouth. "She must've been through hell or something to want to take a jump like that."

Achilles frowned at his pupil before filling another bowl with stew and limping upstairs to leave the white Mohawk to think.

 _She seems to not know the area_ , he concluded, hearing nothing from upstairs. He decided to check up on the strange girl before retiring to bed himself. He found her curled up on the bed, gobbling up her stew as though the bowl would grow legs and run away from her. He leaned in the doorway and cleared his throat loudly, but it appeared as though she didn't hear him.

Connor groaned and locked the door behind him before crossing the room to stand behind her and opened his mouth to say something, only to have her hurl the now empty bowl at his head and scramble to make an exit.

Connor yelped as the hard wood hit his forehead, but he still caught the girl around the waist and forced her onto the bed, sending her a glare. She in turn tried to backhand him, only he was, once again, too fast for her. He caught her wrist in one hand before she tried the other hand, which he caught.

She put up a great struggle, seeming to never tire even as Connor felt his blood beginning to boil at her determination to escape.

He finally snapped and shook her hard, growling under his breath as he stared into her eyes, which held a certain spark of frightened fear.

"Who are you?" he demanded once more, becoming puzzled as she lifted her hands and her long, delicate fingers began to dance as she talked with her hands.

 _Who are you?_

Connor stared at her, surprised that she was using her hands to talk and not her mouth.

 _My name is Connor_ , he spelled out awkwardly, cursing himself for forgetting how to use his hands to talk. _Who are you?_

 _My name is Annie Bently_. She appeared much calmer than before, having found that she could communicate with the half blood. _Why am I here?_

Connor searched his mind for the sign which indicated that he had seen her plunge down the suicidal Blue Rabbit Falls, but the signs escaped him, so he instead took up a quill and piece of parchment from the desk in the room, hoping that she could read and write.

 _I saw you jump the waterfall_ , he scribbled. _No one that I know had survived that jump._

 _I didn't jump, I slipped_ , she corrected him after taking the quill from him. _Those rocks are quiet slippery._

Connor chuckled at her words.

 _What tribe are you from?_ Annie asked him, using a bit of sign and writing.

This was one sign that Connor knew. He placed his hand on his head, in an open five, and touched his forehead before bringing it back, as though he were tracing a chief's headdress. Annie smiled at the sign for Mohawk and her hands dances into a sign that Connor couldn't interpret.

The girl saw the confused look on his face, so she spelled out on the paper, _Oneida._

Connor smiled. He had heard stories through his mother of the Oneida people's bravery.

Annie continued to write out her story on the paper.

 _My mother was white. She died when I was a small child. Her father, who I refuse to call my grandfather, didn't want to dirty his name by taking me in, so he sent me to live with my father._

 _Who is your father?_ Connor wanted to know.

 _His name is Howahkan,_ Annie answered with a smile.

Connor's blood chilled.

 _Is your father by any chance the chief?_ Connor asked her with a slightly unsteady hand.

Annie smiled and nodded, folding her legs up underneath her as she took Connor's hand and stripped off the glove.

 _He is a good man,_ she signed to him. _He is kind and loving and caring. It is he who taught me to ride and shoot a bow and track through the forest…_

Connor watched her as she traced a pattern in the palm of his hand.

 _What were you doing with redcoats chasing after you?_ Connor asked the pale beauty.

Annie made a face. _They rode through the village_ , she offered him, _while they were speaking with father, one of the men took me. I escaped this morning and had been on the run since then._

Connor looked her over. She did look a bit worse for wear. She winced painfully as she stretched her left shoulder, almost yelping, but only letting out a tiny whimper.

Connor didn't need to tell her- she automatically turned her back to him and began to wrestle out of her tunic. When her back was bare, he tenderly touched her shoulder, getting a hiss out of the half native girl. It was swollen and heavily bruised and looked as though it had been dislocated and hurriedly fixed.

 _It was how I escaped,_ Annie explained to Connor. _An old trick I learned from one of my hunting friends._

Connor placed his hand on her shoulder and popped it out and back in again, ignoring her yell of pain. She replaced her tunic without any problems and turned back around again to face the assassin with a pained smile on her face.

 _It hurts, but feels better_ , she signed with her right hand. _Thank you._

Connor smiled his welcome at her and stood up, glancing out the window to take in the time. The sun was setting, leaving him to take in the time as being a bit after seven.

 _How long must I stay here?_ Annie asked Connor, biting her lip in worry. _I've been away from the tribe for four days now._

Connor thought this question over before answering, _Overnight at least. In the morning, I'll personally take you back. I'd like to make sure your shoulder doesn't give you any trouble tonight_.

Annie smiled at him and nodded her head in agreement.

 _Father must be frantic,_ she signed, biting her lip as she examined Connor's hand. She then tried to hide a yawn but failed, as how Connor was noticing everything about the young half blood.

Connor waved his hands in what he thought was the sign for goodnight, only to get a blank stare from the girl as she reached for the pen and paper again.

 _Why am I getting the feeling that you did not mean what you said?_ Annie asked him.

 _What did I say?_ Connor asked, feeling his face beginning to heat up.

 _You said that you wanted to kiss me_ , she told him, giggling at his red face. _But I know what you were saying._ She made a fist and cupped it with her other hand before lowering it in a diagonal arch across her face. _That is the sign for good night._

Connor barely managed to fumble out the sign before hastily standing up again and heading for the door, leaving Annie alone to fall asleep with a smile on her face.


	2. Chapter 2

**If Only**

 **I don't own Assassin's Creed.**

 **SUMMARY:**

 **When Connor meets Annie, the assassin learns that love isn't always such a bad thing…**

Annie woke up the following morning at the crack of dawn and stretched her way out of bed. She padded over to the door and found it to be unlocked.

 _Connor must've thought that I wouldn't have tried to run away last night_ , she thought as she wondered down the stairs with her booted moccasins in hand. She soon came to what she assumed was the kitchen, where she found both Connor and the elderly man up and eating breakfast.

Connor nodded his head towards the stove, where there was a pot with leftover stew and another bowl on the counter. Annie smiled her thanks as she ladled in some stew and sat down on the floor next to Connor

"We have a table for a reason," muttered the older man with a scowl.

 _That's Achilles_ , Connor told Annie through clumsy signs. She turned and waved her hand in a circle, greeting Achilles in sign.

"Is she mute?" Achilles asked, though not in a rude manner.

Connor translated the question back, to which Annie shook her head and pointed to her ears before shaking her head.

"She's deaf," Connor announced.

"I gathered that much," the older man grumbled, standing up on his cane and limping from the room. Annie gave Connor a puzzled look as they both finished up their bowls.

Connor stood up and stacked his bowl next to Achilles' before nodding to Annie and leading the way outside, where the girl shivered at the chilly morning mist. Connor led the way into a stable, where he bought out a brown horse and a saddle. Annie watched with wide, admiring eyes as he quickly brushed and saddled up the horse before jumping up and extending his hand for her to take.

Annie found herself with her arms wrapped around Connor's waist as he led the horse in a gentle trot. As they neared the forest where he thought her tribe could be found, she pulled at his left arm and pointed off into the woods.

 _I'm certain that my tribe is somewhere to the north_ , she told him through awkward sign, which Connor solved by getting off the horse so that he could lead and Annie could sign. The girl was biting her lip as she tried to remember where her tribe was located.

After wandering around for about two hours, Annie gave out a cry of delight and pointed to a tree up ahead.

 _I always carve an A into a tree whenever I hunt to find my way back home,_ she signed to Connor, who nodded his head before examining the letter for a brief second. He soon found more trees with the brand and with each new discovered A, Annie became more and more excited.

 _Just around that bend up ahead_ , she informed Connor with a happy smile on her face. Connor chuckled at her excited behavior as they went around a curve.

Annie's smile grew all the more bigger as she began to wave her arms and tried to get off the horse, only to result in her foot getting tangled in the stirrup. Connor caught her just as she was about to fall off and she held onto him as he quickly untangled her foot and set her up the right way.

"Look! It's Annie!" cried a little boy and soon everyone came running to greet their chief's daughter, who didn't let go of Connor's arm as she greeted everyone with a smile and a hello sign.

Just then, the sea of Oneida natives parted and a man came through. He was tall, with a heavily muscular build, and a headdress of feather which spilled across his back and trailed onto the ground behind him.

Annie made a beeline for him, squealing as he lifted her up into his powerful arms and kissed her forehead. The deaf girl then rapidly fluttered her hands before pointing to Connor, who stepped up to stand behind the girl.

"My daughter tells me that you rescued her," Chief Howahkan told Connor with a smile. "For that, I thank you."

Connor nodded stiffly, his manners in meeting a powerful chief a bit rusty.

"She was injured," was all that he said before the chief's eye went cold.

"How badly?" he demanded to know and Connor knew that he couldn't sugarcoat the truth.

"From what I could tell, she had a dislocated shoulder, which I fixed," he explained quickly. "That was all that I could see."

Annie tugged at her father's arm and again her fingers were dancing as she told him something.

"You're Mohawk," stated the chief, his eyes warming a bit.

"Half Mohawk, half English," he explained in a brisk tone of voice, indicating that he didn't want to say anything else about the matter. Thankfully, the chief didn't press anymore.

Annie grabbed Connor by the hand and dragged him around the village, introducing him to people she grew up with. The hard hearted assassin's mouth was twitching as he did his best not to smile.

Connor ended up staying for most of the day, improving his signing skills with Annie and limping through conversations with everyone else. By the time he would finish what he was trying to say, Annie would be crying with laughter.

"You arere no help," scowled Connor as he was getting ready to leave. Annie was smiling and her eyes were dancing as she and Connor walked side by side. She kept stopping him to explain who people were and what they were doing. Connor did his best to get lost, but it was hard, as how the girl signed very fast but was happy to repeat herself in a slower manner.

Connor smiled at she led him back to the teepee that she shared with her little sister, a darling full blooded five year old Oneida girl by the name of Leotee. Leotee loved talking with Annie and Connor, often acting as the translator between the two of them and cracking up when Connor would attempt to sign himself.

 _Leotee likes you_ , Annie told him with a wide smile. She was balancing herself on one foot with her arms on either side of her and her other leg behind her. _Will you return?_ Annie looked up at him with eyes that he couldn't say no to.

Connor found himself leaning down and pressing a kiss to her forehead before urging his horse into a fast canter.


End file.
